


Mind Games

by CartoonFuel



Category: Boku no Hero Academia, My Hero Academia
Genre: Action, Angsty?, Enjoy!, I am very set on this, I probably wouldn’t have written this, If it weren’t for quarantine, I’m really excited about this, Manipulation, OC insert, OC insert read in second POV, Reader is a bit of a sociopath, Relationships will stay in line with what’s CANON, Second POV, Sort of an x Reader..., Takes place between Overhaul Arc and Joint Training Arc, This isn’t full of ships or relationships BUT there will be tense moments between characters, Thriller, Villains are creepy, Violence, X Reader?, good fun, mature themes, mind reading quirk, my hero academia x reader, reader can read minds, second point of view, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27021943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonFuel/pseuds/CartoonFuel
Summary: For the first time in your miserable life, things were silent. The world around you was still...and the voices were leaving you alone.
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Reader, Denki Kaminari/Reader, Eijiro Kirishima/Reader, Hawks/Reader, Midoriya Izuku/Reader, Mirio Togata/Reader, Overhaul/Reader, Shouto Todoroki/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	1. She’s Awake

You took a deep breath, refusing to look away from your opponent. Eye contact was the most crucial thing to remember in this moment.

Focus, Aya.

You stared at the ceiling competitively, waiting for it to blink. After a minute or so, you realized you had done it.

“Victory,” you muttered under your breath. Seeing the ceiling blink gave you a boost of confidence like no other. You went into this staring contest as a pathetic nobody and came out as a champion.

For the first time in your miserable life, things were silent. The world around you was still...and the  _ voices _ were leaving you alone. The tranquility of the afternoon tempted you into shutting your eyes. Maybe another nap would be nice?

_ She’s awake. _

Your eyes flew back open, hesitant to look around the hospital room. You heard the sound of a door slowly opening and closing. Your paranoid mind halfheartedly waited to hear the clicking noise of the door being locked, but it never came. What a relief.

“Hey there,” the same voice said, now beside you, causing you to flinch.

_ She’s not moving. Hm. Expected. _

Your breaths grew more ragged, fearful of what words you were going to hear next.

_ Oh. What is Hawks doing in there? I thought I told him to keep his distance. Crazy hero. _

The door opened and closed again. Was this a doctor?

_ Poor girl. I really wonder what’s going on with her. _

_ Is she...alive? _

_ Her eyes are open. She could be dead, though. Maybe we should check. _

You finally spoke up. “I’m alive,” you commented, lacking any emotion in your voice whatsoever.

You heard a chair being pulled towards you, positioned adjacent to your bed.

_ Ah, I love these chairs. Always so comfy. _

That must have been Hawks, the Number Two Pro Hero. Your theory was confirmed the moment you noticed some red feathers out of the corner of your eye.

_ He needs to leave. _

You finally turned your head to acknowledge your visitors, though you remained flat on your back. As you had expected, Hawks sat in the chair next to you and a doctor was approaching hesitantly.

“Where am I?” you asked, propping up your torso using your elbows. You locked eyes with the winged man before you.

_ Whoa. Her eyes look so dead inside. Her irises almost look white—but there’s a golden hue to them. _

_ Hawks, she needs medical attention, you moron! She looks so skinny under that hospital gown, haven’t you noticed? She needs help! _

“Are you going to answer me?” you spat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable and completely unimpressed.

“Oh, right!” Hawks replied, leaning forward a bit. “I’ll explain.”

“Hawks,” the doctor finally cut in, “You’re not supposed to be in here. She has clearly suffered several mental and physical injuries and needs the attention of psychoanalytic professionals.”

“Let me talk to her, doc,” Hawks persisted. “There’s something special about her.” You cringed at the words.

The doctor nodded and left the room.

That’s all it took?

“A real charmer, huh?” you snarled. “Does everyone do what you tell them to?”

“Relax,” the hero tutted. “I was patrolling last night and found you on the street. You jumped me and talked about wanting to kill me for the things I’d said about you, but if I can recall correctly, I hadn’t said a single word to you until after you’d spoken to me. So I rendered you unconscious and brought you here, to the general hospital. Do you remember any of that?”

“I remember it all perfectly.”

_ What a piece of work. _

You narrowed your eyes. “Tch.”

_ Does she have any other personality traits aside from creepy and sarcastic? _

“You’ll find out,” you said abruptly, causing the hero to visibly stiffen.

_ What the hell? _

Hawks continued as if nothing had happened. “Do you have a home?”

“No.” Yes.

“Mom?”

“No.” Yes.

“Dad?” 

“No.” Yes, you had a father, too. Lying through your teeth was an acquired skill someone might consider to be your superpower. Unfortunately for you, lying wasn’t your quirk.

“What happened to your family?”

_ Her hair is pretty. _

_ What a lovely crimson color. _

_ Or is it brown? _

_ Purple? _

_ Perhaps more of a maroon. Yes, that’s it! It’s quite dirty though. I wonder how it would look—hm. She appears to be lost in thought. _

“Aya. Speak up,” Hawks said, the sound of your name reverberating in your mind. Right, your name had come up in passing last night.

“If I do speak up, are you going to listen? Or are you too distracted by my hair?”

Hawks’ yellow eyes widened as he realized his mistake from the previous night.

All of a sudden, the doctor returned, entering the room with a fake smile. “How is it going?” he asked, much quicker to enter than last time. Hawks stood up and spun around, the tips of his wings mere centimeters away from your face, causing your face to contort in agitation.

“Aya’s homeless, but she’s not crazy,” Hawks mused, raising an index finger in the air triumphantly. Ha. If only he knew. “She has no parents and seems to have lived a rough life on the streets.”

“I might be a little crazy,” you interrupted, smirking. “I just had a staring contest with that ceiling up there and won. You should’ve seen it.”

_ What the—a staring contest with the ceiling? Ceilings don’t blink... _

_ I wonder what’s going on in there. _

_ Aya needs help from more than just doctors. _

_ Hawks is in there! _

_ What a lucky patient. Despite the “being hospitalized” thing. That’s not lucky. Seeing Hawks—THAT’s lucky! _

_ And with a quirk like hers, there’s no way society could let it go to waste. _

_ This girl‘s presence is so intimidating. I don’t like it. How old is she? _

_ A high school would just be bad for her. I need to speak with— _

“Shut up,” you spoke up again, surprising the doctor. Hawks, on the other hand, simply looked concerned. Although his considerate face quickly morphed into something else.

“Make sure she showers,” Hawks spat. “She reeks.”

With that, the Pro Hero made his way towards the door.

“So bipolar,” you muttered, secretly hoping Hawks would hear you on his way out—which h e did.

_ You aren’t any better, Aya. _

Gee. Thanks, Hawks.

He was right but it still hurt.

=

=

=

Name: Aya

Age: 17

Quirk: Mindscape

She can hear the thoughts of anyone within 10 meters (roughly 30 feet) of her, whether they consent to it or not. It’s actually quite creepy, for both her and those around her!


	2. Sleep Well

You slipped into the shower, content with the temperature of the water. You took a deep sigh, thoroughly enjoying both the cleanliness of the shower the privacy of the bathroom. You could literally count on  one hand the amount of times you didn’t hear at least one voice in your head for a decent period of time. This was a rare occurrence, and you were going to soak it all in.

Being unable to shut out the voices around you was a constant nightmare. So many times had you felt harassed by fellow quirk-users or been creeped out by the thoughts of “innocent” bystanders. Several times you had run away screaming from crowds, attempting to block out the voices around you.

You firmly believed that not one person on this earth ever refrained from horrifying thoughts. Most of all, you hated feeling unsafe practically everywhere you went. Even when you did feel safe, you felt bad for peeking into peoples’ minds without their permission.

After showering, you put your hospital gown back on and wandered back to bed. You could hear the thoughts of people passing by in the hallway, but luckily, the hospital didn’t seem too busy today.

That evening, Hawks paid you a visit again. He believed to have rescued you, as heroes do, so you figured that’s why he’d returned. His thoughts when he entered the room were as predictable as ever.

_ She looks great! Showers can make a world of difference. _

“Hi, Hawks,” you peeped, turning away from him.

“Hey there, Aya,” he responded, sitting across the room from you. His wings puffed outward so they could rest comfortably between him and the wall.

“What do you want?” you asked.

“I just thought I’d let you know that you can’t stay here at the hospital forever,” Hawks replied, scratching his chin. “And I cant ‘be your little hero’ forever, either. I apologize if the doctors already told you that. So I contacted the principal at UA High School to let him know that I stumbled upon you.”

You’d heard of UA. Although it was rare for you to have  not heard of something before. In fact, much of the information you had stored in your brain was stored there non-consensually.

“Why UA?” You sleepily rubbed your eyes.

“Because I trust them and care for your safety—“

“You can cut the hero lines, Hawks.”

“I’m serious.” There was a pause. 

_ This is awkward. Just gonna. Continue. Where was I? Eh, I’ll move on. _

You subconsciously grinned at the sound of his anxious thoughts. However, your grin disappeared the moment you remembered the previous evening.

Hawks went on, contemplatively leaning back in his seat. “Can you tell me more about your quirk, Aya?”

“Why? Don’t you know?” You crossed your arms. Unexpectedly, Hawks stood up and wandered towards you. “You’re taller than I remember,” you added as he looked down at you on the hospital bed.

Hawks laughed, removing his goggles and headphones. He held the gear at his hip. “I get that a lot.”

_ I definitely do not get that a lot. Maybe she won’t— _

“No you don’t,” you scoffed.

He laughed again, remembering what he suspected about your quirk. “So you _can_ read minds. You clearly don’t show any signs of quirk activation when you do, so that’s a nice asset.”

Someone walked by in the hallway, shocking you with a contextless thought.

_ I’m so hard right now I can barely— _

And then the person went out of range of your quirk. Hawks noticed the widening of your eyes and knelt down to look at you.

_ Aya? You okay? _

You nodded.

“Don’t worry,” Hawks said. “You’ll be in good hands in no time. Nezu will know how to help you.”

Ah, yes. The rat principal. Or whatever he was. “Right.”

“The UA staff will arrive tomorrow morning to meet you. Only the principal will be visiting you personally. That way, you’re not overwhelmed with thoughts from several different teachers.”

“He’s an animal, isn’t he?” you asked the hero, reaching out to grab his jacket. He blinked awkwardly.

“Well, I, um—I believe so. It’s somewhat up for debate, I had thought—“

“My quirk doesn’t work on animals.”

Hawks’ face lit up. “Awesome! That will be great for you then! A normal conversation.”

“Yep.” A single tear rolled down your cheek.

_What do I do in a situation like this?_ _ They don’t teach you about this emotional shit in hero school. _

“Don’t worry about it,” you said to Hawks, releasing his clothing. “I can handle myself.”

_I feel awful_.

“Don’t.”

_ I’m trying not to think weird things and it’s causing me to overthink. _

You chuckled, lying down in your bed. Hawks was growing on you. Although you had a slight distaste towards heroes. It’s been years and finally one picked you up off the street, and it’s because you practically attacked him.

“I’d like to apologize for the other night,” Hawks interjected your own thoughts. “I’d had a couple drinks too many at an event held for heroes. I was on my way home and not thinking clearly.”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly either,” you explained. “I’d gotten trapped in a crowd earlier that day and all the noise got to my head. Your thoughts sent this homeless girl overboard.”

“I don’t blame you. I was—“

“Crude?”

_ Graphic. Disgusting. Perverted. _ “Crude works,” Hawks agreed. Although you knew what he was thinking. He really did feel bad. “I’m sorry.“

“No big deal. Everyone has those thoughts sometimes. I would know.”

After a moment of awkward silence, which was extra awkward for you since you could hear Hawks thoughts, the man stepped towards the door and looked back to smile at you once he reached it. “I’ll be heading out now. This is the last time you’ll see me for a while. If UA doesn’t show tomorrow, then there’s probably something seriously wrong going on over there. I don’t doubt them and what they do. They’re a great organization with lots of resources.”

You just nodded, remaining still.

_ You look very tired. _

“I know,” you grinned. “Sleep will help.”

_Sleep well._

And with that, the Pro Hero exited the room.

You awoke to the sound of a doctor entering the room, explaining the UA situation to you. You were going to meet Principal Nezu and then be taken to the school for further discussion and analysis of your quirk.

Nezu was a funny creature, and you had been right about your quirk being ineffective on him. It felt so nice to have a normal conversation with a...one-meter tall, talking rodent.

You were driven to the school, uneasy about the entire situation. For so long, you had remained unnoticed on the streets of Japan, hoping to escape the hell that was your quirk. Going anywhere that was populated was ridiculously eerie. Being at UA was not your cup of tea, but neither was being on the streets of Musutafu.

“What are those buildings?” you asked Nezu, inquiring about the UA dorms.

“Oh, yes!“ Nezu replied. “Those are new! They were installed quite recently, following the kidnapping of first-year student, Katsuki Bakugou.”

“He blows stuff up!” you smiled, feeling smart.

Nezu laughed...somewhat hysterically. It sort of worried you. “Indeed, Aya! He’s an explosive one for sure.”

You looked back out the window, doing your best to ignore the driver’s thoughts. Most of his thoughts were about getting you and the principle to your destination, though.

“How did you end up on the streets, Aya?” Nezu asked, throwing you off.

“It’s a long story,” you sighed. “My quirk isn’t the only thing that’s sent my mental health spiraling downward. My home life was terrible, too. My quirk only made it worse.”

“Tell me, do you see your quirk as more of a blessing or a—“

“Curse,” you cut in, immediately shutting the principal up. “It’s impossible to control.” You felt your very sanity slowly slipping away. “My quirk makes me want to—“

Nezu grabbed your hand with his...paw(?) and gave it a pat with the other. “Don’t worry, Aya! At UA High School, we will aim to guide you along the vigorously rewarding path to being a—“

“I don’t want to be a hero,” you interrupted again.

“—I was going to say quirk-user. No need to fret!”

Silence overcame the two of you for a minute or so. During that small window of time, you started to feel sleepy again.

Suddenly, Nezu looked up at you, smiling. “We have arrived,” he said as he opened the car door.


	3. Stupid New Girl

UA was much smaller than you thought it was going to be. You’d figured it was going to be some glorified campus that appeared larger than most college campuses, being that it was the most prestigious hero academy in Japan.

You followed behind Nezu, beginning to hear more and more thoughts from strangers as you approached the building. 

_ Why can’t I do math? It’s so simple! _

_ I’m going to have a panic attack, these tests are the worst. _

_ What the...? Seriously? This is the easiest exam I’ve ever taken. _

_ This test is making me miss our midterm. _

Yep, thoughts were flooding into your mind through the walls now.

“How are you doing?” Nezu asked, glancing over his shoulder at you. Hundreds of comments and thoughts were now flooding into your mind and being processed.

“I feel...very, um, distracted,” you stuttered, trying to get the words out.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost to the nurse’s office!”

Inside the school’s infirmary were two unconscious students and the school’s nurse. You felt a tug at your pant leg and looked down to see Nezu beaming at you once again. “Hawks informed me that your quirk doesn’t work on anyone who is unconscious. Is this true? He wasn’t certain, but he suspected it.”

“Yes, that’s true.” You worked hard to suppress the nearby nurse’s thoughts.

“Excellent! Then I hope you don’t mind the students we have resting in here?”

“No, not at all. I recognize one of them, actually. The Sludge Villain boy.”

“Yes, that’s Katsuki Bakugou. He’s gotten himself into a lot of trouble, lately. The other boy is Neito Monoma of Class 1-B. The two of them went a little too hard during one of their occasional combined trainings and ended up here.”

“I see.”

“Now we are not offering you a place in our school as a student, but your quirk is one we are greatly curious about. We hope that you are willing to meet some of the students and staff here, though we plan not to overwhelm you. You will get one, possibly two visitors, at a time. Do you have any questions?” You shook your head. “Wonderful! We will provide you with a school uniform momentarily. Again, you are not a student, but I’m sure it would be nice to get you out of those dirty street clothes and into something nicer.”

“I’ll wear whatever as long as I don’t have to put on another hospital gown.”

“Good deal!” Nezu exclaimed happily. “I have much business to attend to, so I’ll have our school nurse over there, Recovery Girl, get that uniform for you and make sure you’re comfortable. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask!”

“I do have a question, actually,” you chimed in just before he left. He came to a halt and spun around to face you. “What staff and students will be interviewing me about my quirk?”

“While I wouldn’t call your future interactions with the staff and students at UA ‘interviews,’ I will be sure to let you know who you’ll be meeting the moment I find out. We will be holding a board meeting late this afternoon to discuss many issues and topics involving UA. I’ll be sure to bring your name up. Is there anyone in particular you would like to meet?”

“I’ve heard a lot about Izuku Midoriya,” you suggested. Nezu’s ears perked up in response to your words. He was clearly thinking hard about your suggestion, and it was rare moments like these where you wished you could read his mind. “I admire how he encouraged Shouto Todoroki to use his fire during the Sports Festival.”

“Ah, I get it! Yes, I know several people who can help you understand and properly utilize your quirk. I’ll be sure to talk to Mr. Aizawa about his students and their take on the situation. Maybe there’s even extra credit assignment potential involving your arrival to UA.”

You felt beyond special in this moment. After all, for the most part, you had detested your quirk since the moment it manifested.

~

_ I love you so much. If only— _

“Awe, Mommy!” you had screamed, running up to hug her leg. “I love you, too!”

Your mom was all smiles until she realized that she hadn’t  said she loved you, she’d only  _ thought _ it. On top of that, she had been in the middle of doing dishes and, quite frankly, daydreaming about your father. You hadn’t been on her mind at all. “Oh, honey, I, um, that’s very sweet!” she said as she wrapped you up in her arms.

_ What the hell? _

“Mom, that’s a naughty word!”

Your mom’s eyes widened. “Okay, this is happening. Sweetie, I think you may have developed a quirk...”

“You think? This is so exciting, Mommy!”

Even at six years of age, you knew neither of your parents had quirks. How you’d gotten a quirk was a mystery to you at the time, but not to your mother. Most quirks at this point in time were genetic, but they did happen to mutate randomly as well.

Later that evening, after your father had gotten home from work and you’d gone to bed, you awoke from a nightmare. Heart racing, you hopped out of bed and made your way down the hall to your parents’ bedroom. This was a fairly regular occurrence for you when it came to nightmares. Before you’d knocked on the door to go in, you began hearing your parents’ voices in your mind.

_ I can’t believe this. _

_ I can’t believe this. _

_ I’m not the father? _

_ I’m sorry. _

_ I’m not the father... _

_ I’m so sorry. _

_ How dare she. _

_ I made a mistake. _

_ She kept this a secret the whole time?! _

_ I’m scared. _

_ She deserves this! _

_ I deserve this. _

_ Damn woman! _

_ I deserve this. _

_ Damn her to hell! _

_ I deserve this. _

_ Damn that child, too! _

_ I’m so sorry, Aya. _

_ I’m so angry. So angry. I need to leave before I—screw it. _

A lot of the words didn’t make any sense to you at all. Suddenly, you heard a loud  thump on the other side of the door which sent you flying backwards and onto the floor.

The door swung open, your quirkless father staring down at you.

His thoughts mortified you.

“Guess what, Aya?” he said, a strange look in his eyes that you couldn’t identify. You nervously gulped, barely able to focus on his actual words. “For six years, I thought you were _my_ little girl, but...you’re not my daughter at all!”

_ I wonder what her daddy’s quirk actually is? _

_ Must have something to do with reading minds. _

_ Or maybe her mom lied to me about that, too! _

_ Can you understand me, Aya? _

You were frozen.

_ Aya! Can you hear this? Answer me. _

Hesitantly, you nodded. Where was your mom?

_ Damn her. _

Your father grabbed you by the collar and lifted you off the ground.

_ Damn her! _

Tears were streaming down his face.

_ Damn it! _

After a couple more seconds, he appeared to calm down. He set you back on the ground and stumbled down the hallway without another word. Where were heroes when you _really_ needed them?

You looked inside your parents’ room and found your mom lying face-down on the floor, her cellphone in hand. You poked your head back out into the hallway after hearing the front door open.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” you heard your dad screaming. “It was her! It was her, get off me!”

All in the same day, you acquired a quirk, your mother was sent to the hospital, and your father was taken into custody. The thoughts you heard throughout the following week echoed within your mind for months.

_ We need to keep her and her quirk away from villains. _

_ Her mother isn’t responding. _

_ Her quirk has potential. _

_ Her mother is unstable. _

_ The girl’s quirk will traumatize most children her age if she goes around reading minds. _

_ Her mother has experienced serious head trauma. _

_ It would be easy to use her... _

_ What are we supposed to do with her? _

_ Easy to manipulate her... _

~

After putting your new uniform on, you began hearing the thoughts of Neito Monoma.

_ Arrogant...Class A...garbage...must...destroy... _

He must have been waking up. Weird guy.

_ Hm. How odd...I’m definitely sensing a pair of eyes on me. _

Monoma shot straight up in bed and turned to look at you.

“Who are you?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. Before you could answer, the Sludge Boy rudely interrupted.

“Keep it down, dammit,” Bakugou snapped, rolling over onto his side.

_ Stupid new girl. _

“I’m not stupid, Sludge Boy,” you growled, causing him to leap out of bed and glare at you.

“What was that, new girl?!” he shouted, cracking his knuckles.

Judging by the boy’s thoughts, Monoma was already considering punching the daylights out of Bakugou.

He was also trying to figure out your bra size.

“And stop staring at my chest, Monoma!” you screeched, throwing the nearest object at him—a clipboard.

Recovery Girl finally played a part in the commotion, raising her voice and silencing the boys. “That’s enough, all of you!” she hissed. They listened instantly, Monoma climbing back onto his bed and Bakugou stomping over towards a chair to sit in.

“So when can I go back to class?” Bakugou asked Recovery Girl, practically shouting.

“Whenever you feel up to it, young man,” the lady replied, returning to her computer.

“Well I feel fine, so then I’m out. Thanks for your help.” After sitting in his chair for not even ten seconds, Bakugou got back up and made his way towards the door. “Oh, and new girl?” You turned your attention towards him, working diligently to ignore Monoma’s disconcerted thoughts. “Call me Sludge Boy again and I’ll kill you.”

_ Dumb bitch. _

You went into hysterics, not even trying to suppress your laughter. “That’s an empty threat, Sludge Boy,” you snickered. “You want to call me ‘dumb bitch’ to my face?”

Bakugou visibly stiffened, just before grunting and leaving the infirmary without another word. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He marched out of the room muttering the word “die” over and over.

“Whoa, you’re awesome!” Monoma exclaimed, walking up to greet you. “You can read minds!”

“Long story short, yes, I read minds. And yours is all over the place.”

“Oh, is it? I’m not so sure I know what you mean.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I, too, need to return to class. Can I get your name?”

You nodded. “I’m Aya.”

“That’s a lovely name!” He reached out to shake your hand. You were about to take it, but his next thought caused you to freeze.

_ I wonder what her quirk feels like... _

You raised an eyebrow. “What’s your quirk?”

“Oh,” Monoma said nervously. “It’s called Copy. It allows me to duplicate and use another person’s quirk after coming into physical contact with them.”

_ Damn. So much for that.  _

“You won’t want to copy mine,” you told him, grabbing his hand and shaking it. “My quirk’s unsettling, to say the least.”

“Ah. Well, I’m going to go back to class now. If you ever wish to see me again, I’m down the hall in class 1-B, the best class at UA!” You expected him to be lying, but according to his thoughts, he wholeheartedly believed that. “Goodbye for now, Aya! Oh, and I almost forgot. Call me Neito.”

With that, he exited the nurse’s office and left you alone with Recovery Girl.

A few painstaking hours passed by, though you had to admit you were thankful for the quietness of it all. Eventually, Recovery Girl went home for the night and Nezu returned with two extra visitors.

“I, the precious UA High principal, have returned!” the creature announced as he came into the room. “And I have brought you some friends!”

The first “friend” Nezu was referring to was a tall, muscular boy with blonde hair. His mere presence made you feel like you were wrapped in a warm blanket. The other person with them was a small girl who appeared to be younger than nine or so. Their levels of friendliness were almost polar opposite, with the little girl hiding behind the boy.

“Hi there!” the blonde exclaimed. “I’m Mirio Togata! And her down there? That’s Eri. We’re pleased to meet you!” After looking them up and down multiple times, the corners of your mouth slowly lifted...

...and you smiled.


	4. I Like Her

“Eri wasn’t supposed to be here, originally,” Mirio explained to you, both of you sitting across from one another in chairs. Eri stood next to him, wrapping her arms around one of his biceps. “I was sort of tasked with babysitting.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you responded. “I feel indifferent when it comes to kids. I try not to let my personal experiences with them sway me.”

“Awesome!” Mirio replied, throwing you off a bit. What a wholesome response to your monotone statement. “Eri’s a sweetheart! She’s working on controlling her quirk. Which is something I heard you wished to work on, too, is that right?”

“I’m not really sure.” You had just been  brought here. Coming to UA wasn’t much different than being taken to an orphanage against your will, or dragged to an insane asylum for that matter. However, you felt comfortably out of place here at UA. Aside from the Sludge Boy, everyone had been treating you well. Plus, Eri’s constant innocent thoughts kept bringing a small hint of a smile to your face.

_ She’s so pretty. _

_ Maybe we could be friends. _

_ I wonder what Mirio thinks of her. _

_ I like her. _

_ Why am I so shaky all the time? _

Knowing that your quirk might alarm her, you kept her thoughts to yourself. Mirio’s thoughts were rapidly streaming through his mind at a constant pace. Though, one of his thoughts stood out to you:

_ Would it be easier if I talked to you in my head? _

You nodded, quite pleased with his cleverness.

_Great! We can get to know each other this way. Can you tell me more about your quirk? I’d love to hear it! Well, think it? I dunno. Have at it! If you’re willing_.

You explained your quirk to both him and Eri, surprised to see Mirio’s smile only _slightly_ falter when you began to dive into the current state of your mind. Your quirk had definitely tainted the way you behaved and thought—and you’d be the first person to admit it.

_ What is the range of your quirk? Like, how far away can you read minds? _

“Ten meters,” you replied aloud. “Anyone above, below, or within ten meters of me can’t avoid the effects of my quirk. Although it’s really the other way around. It’s me who can’t escape their thoughts.”

_ How many thoughts can you hear at one time? _

“There’s no limit, as far as I know. Crowds terrify me.”

_ And your family? _

“Gone,” you lied again. “It’s just me.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mirio said out loud. “Oop! Sorry!”

“It’s fine,” you smirked. “I heard All Might teaches at this school.”

_ Indeed, he does! Would you like to meet him? I’m sure he’d have wisdom for you! _

“Maybe eventually.”

_ No rush at all! Nezu told me you wanted to meet Izuku. He’s a great kid! I’m not sure how good he is at controlling his thoughts, though. _

“Thoughts are hard to control in this world.”

_ Lots of things are hard to control! Like your quirk, for example! If you’re willing, I’d absolutely love to assist you in learning how to control your quirk! _

“What’s your quirk?” you asked. Almost immediately, his smile vanished.

_ I used to have a quirk called Permeation. I lost it in a recent accident.  _

You noticed Eri hold onto Mirio just a little bit tighter.

_ What do you call your quirk? _

You sighed. “Growing up, people called it Mindscape.”

All of a sudden, a head peered into the infirmary. It was Izuku Midoriya. “Hi,” he squeaked. After realizing Eri was running towards him for a hug, Midoriya stepped into the room and knelt down on one knee, catching the girl in his arms. “Nezu told me you wanted to meet?”

You shrugged and said, “I mean...I thought it would be cool.”

Speaking of “cool,” Midoriya was not. His thoughts were flying all over the place.

_ Okay, Izuku. She can read your mind. Which is totally cool but equally freaky! I mean, we’re not sure if we can trust her yet, like Nezu said, so be careful not to think about One For All and—CRAP! CRAP! I just did! I’m an idiot! Okay, calm down, what would All Might do? No, no, too specific. What would a hero do? _

“Chill,” you told Midoriya. “I don’t plan on hurting anyone at UA. I don’t have any real motives at all, actually, so I’d deem myself pretty trustworthy.”

Mirio shot Midoriya a glance as if trying to say something without thinking it.

_ Sheesh, keep yourself together, Midoriya. I can already tell he’s overthinking literally everything. _

“Why’d you want to meet me of all people, Aya?” Midoriya asked, walking Eri back over to you. You were beginning to feel frightened by the amount of people in the room now, and Midoriya must have noticed. “Did I say something?”

“No, there’s just a lot of you in here now,” you said, massaging your temples.

Mirio cut in. “Would you like Eri and I to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, gotcha!” Mirio stood up, taking Eri’s hand in his. “If you ever want me to train you in the ways of controlling a quirk, let me know! And Midoriya? Can I talk to you in the hallway for a second?” Midoriya nodded.

You watched them all file out of the room, their thoughts overlapping one another.

_ Is this ten meters away? _

_ Nah, not quite. _

_ Get over here, I think this might be ten meters. _

_ Okay, we’re— _

You sat patiently for a few moments, playing with your hair and scanning the room for anything interesting. Eventually, Midoriya entered, looking as awkward as ever.

“Are you acting this nervous because I’m a stranger or because I’m a girl?” you asked him. “Or because of my quirk?”

_ All of the above? _

_ No, not that. Just—ugh, be honest, Izuku! _

_ She’ll know if you’re lying. Not that I’d lie to her—okay, here goes. _

“Because you’re a new face, I guess, and you wanted to see me, and that makes me a little nervous, um—look, I’ll formally introduce myself,” Midoriya chuckled anxiously. “My name’s Izuku Midoriya, but you’re welcome to call me Deku. Or whatever, really. I don’t have a preference!”

“Cool,” you said. “That Eri girl is really cute.”

“Yeah! She kind of reminds me a lot of you,” Midoriya beamed. “You’re both so unsure but so potent. You’d make great heroes!”

“If only I wanted to be one.” Before Midoriya could reply, you added to your comment. “What‘s her quirk, anyway? Eri’s?”

“Her quirk is called Rewind. It’s quite powerful, actually.”

“Oh? That’s pretty interesting.”

“Hey...can I ask you something?”

”Shoot.”

”Why don’t you want to be a hero?”

“My quirk is hardly heroic. It’s creepy and harmful to myself and to others.”

_ Does she really believe that? _

“I seriously doubt that,” Midoriya grinned. “You need to be more optimistic about your quirk, Aya. A quirk is a gift.”

“Deku, what if...” you paused, “what if I told you I escaped from an insane asylum?”

_ What?! _

_ Nezu didn’t inform me about this! _

_ What do I say? _

_ Does anyone else know this about her? _

_ Crap, crap, crap— _

“Calm down,” you said to him, rubbing your tired eyes. Your quirk had an odd way of keeping you awake, yet you felt most at peace whenever you slept. In other words, you were tired all the time. “They refused to provide me with a room away from the other patients. So if you can imagine, I just seemed crazier and crazier. Eventually I left.”

_ How did...how did she...?  _

“How did you manage to do that?” Midoriya queried, resting his chin between his thumb and index finger.

“If I’m able to focus enough, my quirk is good at finding out information,” you stated. “Like codes and stuff. Although it’s really hard to do that when you have insane criminals all around you, constantly thinking about murder and other things.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“People like that make me want to strangle myself,” you brought your hands to your neck, causing Midoriya to instinctively reach out. You stopped him. “Don’t worry, Deku. I know that if I did that, I’d just start breathing again the moment I go unconscious.”

He gave you a blank stare.

_ How can she say that with a smile on her face? I mean, I admire the, um, positive attitude, but...yikes. _

You took a deep breath. “I know, I know. Sorry to freak you out.”

Midoriya frantically waved his arms around. “No, it’s fine!” His thoughts said otherwise.

_ This is totally freaky. Should I tell All Might? Or— _

“Why would you tell him, Deku?” you asked.

_ Crap, I need to get out of here before I reveal something like how One For—NO, DAMN IT, IZUKU! Mirio tried to warn you and you’re blowing it! _

Midoriya buried his face in his hands.

“No, please don’t leave,” you commented, staring at the floor. “Let me continue.”

“Sure,” Midoriya replied.

“My quirk also functions as a sort of alarm system. If I can hear thoughts, I know there’s someone within ten meters of me.”

Midoriya fist-pumped. “Sounds sneaky! Although ten meters is a long distance to gauge.”

_ Her quirk is amazing! How could she hate it? _

“Deku,” you looked up at him, “I’d like you to picture something.“

“Okay, what is it you have in mind?”

“Imagine you’re enjoying your day. And then all of a sudden, you start to hear voices in your head. First it’s one voice. Then two, then three—all at once. You don’t know who the voices belong to and more keep popping up in your brain. You scream at them to go away, but in return, all you get are blank stares from the public. And then the voices shift focus. Instead of going on about their own day and their own issues, the voices think only about you. They judge you, ask questions, and refuse to leave you alone—even if you try to walk away.” You paused, Midoriya eagerly waiting for you to continue. “That’s my quirk.”

“Interesting,” was all he commented. You thought he was done speaking, but then his mind began working. His mouth began moving faster than his head could think, which was somewhat new to you. “I can definitely see why your quirk might be so disturbing to you and to others. You’ve been judged hard for it in the past, and I’m sure you had a difficult time managing your quirk when it first manifested. She probably thought she was crazy and didn’t realize it was a quirk at all. Or she just lost her mind dealing with the darkness of others’ minds throughout her day on a constant basis.” Was he...muttering? Did he want you to hear this? “Mirio had issues with his quirk to begin with as well. She should start training with him right away! And then there’s—“

You tapped him on the shoulder. “Deku?”

“I’m sorry!” he wailed. “I do that sometimes.”

You laughed. “Hey, is it possible to arrange that?”

“Arrange what?”

“Working with Mirio. And you, too. To improve the effectiveness of my quirk. I’ve decided that would probably be good for me.”

“Of course!” Midoriya shot out of his seat. “I’ll talk to Principal Nezu and Mr. Aizawa about it right away!” Ecstatic, the boy darted out of the room, waving a quick goodbye to you. “It was nice to meet you, Aya!”

“You too, Deku.”


	5. Imagine It

Before you knew it, two weeks had gone by. You practically lived in the UA infirmary, becoming quite close to Recovery Girl. Every day at one in the afternoon, Mirio came into the nurse’s office and dragged you over to Gym Gamma to train. He hoped to hone your quirk to the point of perfecting it, though you weren’t all that motivated.

“So,” Mirio began, pushing you into the gym, “I thought today we could use some extra minds and bodies, so I invited a couple friends!”

You looked back at him, slightly irritated. “Oh? Why couldn’t you have told me this yesterday?”

“Thought you would’ve read my mind by now,” Mirio chuckled, releasing you. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too bad.” He turned you to face him, remaining silent.

_ The voices that haunt you are never going to go away, Aya. You have to accept this about your quirk and go from there. _

That was the hardest part for you. You swore you could already hear the thoughts of Mirio’s so-called “friends.”

_ Seriously, you’re going to have to learn how to focus on one voice at a time in your mind. The easiest way to practice that is will multiple people! _

You silently stared at him. He got the message.

_ Trust me. _

Mentally preparing yourself to be social, you took a deep breath and finally nodded.

“Super!” Mirio exclaimed. “I believe in you!” He grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the center of the gym. Then it hit you.

Duh. The Big Three.

Third-year students Nejire Hado and Tamaki Amajiki stood in front of you, their personalities about as polar opposite as it gets. According to their thoughts, at least.

“Wow, you’re, like, so adorable—and kinda creepy, too!” Nejire smiled, waving her arms around. “No offense, of course. Mirio told me you can read my mind!”

_ Can you read this? _

_ Can you hear me? _

_ Can you?! _

Hesitantly, you nodded, subconsciously backing away from Nejire and bumping into Mirio. You lost balance at first but he helped steady you.

“Wow! That is totally incredible!” Nejire shot towards you, too close for comfort. Her mind was racing so fast that it was hard for you to keep up with it. And then there was Tamaki in the back, staring at the gym floor.

_ I feel like I don’t need to be here. _

_ Why am I here? _

_ Why are we all here? _

You gave Mirio a worried look. “I can’t do this,” you told him, covering your ears. “Your friends are overbearing.”

“Come on, Aya!” Mirio chuckled. “We’ve been working on your quirk for a while now. Your noggin has to be introduced to new stimulants or your power won’t improve.”

Your shoulders drooped instinctively, but you understood him. The game plan was to have Tamaki and Nejire attack you at separate moments while you dodged. Mirio told them to make their thoughts as confusing and misleading as possible, forcing you to determine who was thinking what and when. Otherwise, if you heard Nejire’s thoughts and mistook them for Tamaki’s, you found yourself being slapped around by some tentacles...not the greatest feeling in the world.

After about an hour of hearing the Big Three’s thoughts running through your mind over and over again, you noticed Nezu enter the building. He requested to speak with Mirio and put a temporary pause on your training.

Using the skills you’d acquired while training, you attempted to ignore Nejire and Tamaki’s thoughts and focus on Mirio’s alone. While you couldn’t interpret principal Nezu’s thoughts, you could faintly hear his voice. Carefully, you targeted your quirk on Mirio and listened only to Nezu’s voice with your ears.

“According to Mr. Aizawa, he’s refusing to tell us anything,” you heard Nezu explain to Mirio. “We considered giving up.”

_ Hmmm. What’s the catch? _

“Then we remembered the girl. How is she doing?”

_ She’s a bit reluctant, but getting stronger! _

“That’s wonderful news! Do you think she’d be ready for something like this?”

_ I mean, are there any alternatives? Hitoshi Shinso could convince anyone to spill their thoughts. _

“Yes, but the victims of his quirk must first respond to a question of his. The past couple of times, Chisaki has only given us blank stares. He ignores our questions completely.”

All of a sudden, you heard Tamaki speaking to you in your left ear. “Find out anything interesting?” he asked you, his voice slightly louder than a whisper. How the hell did he manage to sneak up on you like that? Had you been so focused on Mirio’s mind that you’d shut out all other voices?

Maybe Mirio was right.

Your quirk was either easier to control than you thought or Togata was just a really good teacher.

“Not really,” you responded, turning back to spy on Nezu and Mirio. Much to your surprise, the principal was actually waving you over.

That’s when you felt two hands pressing into your lower back. “Go on!” It was Nejire, grinning and encouraging you to move your feet, which were stubbornly rooted into the floor. Eventually, you caved and jogged over to Mirio and Principal Nezu.

You slammed your eyes shut in an attempt to drown out Mirio’s thoughts. When you opened them back up, you turned towards the UA principal. “You needed me?”

“Good to see you, Aya!” Nezu looked up at you. “We may have an assignment for you.”

“But I’m not a student here.” You breathed out, anxious about what words might leave Nezu’s mouth next.

“Not that type of assignment. Have you met Eri?” You nodded. “We would like to know more about her from a certain individual who just so happens to be a villain.” Your eyes widened. “Do not worry, he has been detained and is in prison. He’s been acting strange lately and won’t open up to us or share the information we seek.”

“So you want me to dig into his brain for you?”

“Essentially, yes.” You thought for a moment. “I know what you’re thinking. I promise you’re not here just so we can use you for your quirk. Such—“

“Sounds like a good time.” You could tell your answer had shocked Nezu, but he was still very content with it.

“Splendid! I’ll be sure to let Mr. Aizawa know as soon as I’m able. You and a small team will travel to Tartarus to coax answers out of Chisaki. Plan on leaving tomorrow.” With that, Nezu trailed out of the gym, leaving you standing beside Mirio.

_ Well that was easy. _

“Too easy?” you shifted around to make eye contact with Mirio.

Mirio’s unfaltering smile had faded from existence right before your very eyes. “I mean, you don’t even know who Kai Chisaki is.”

“Can’t you tell me?”

All of a sudden, Mirio’s thoughts went rampant. It was like he didn’t know where to start when it came to explaining this Chisaki person.

“Kai Chisaki was the Yazuka Captain of the Shie Hassakai.” You knew who they were. “He—“

“He took your quirk,” you interrupted, a certain thought of Mirio’s catching your immediate attention.

“Sort of. If it weren’t from him, I’d still be—well, I’m still Lemillion. I would just—I’d still be able to permeate.” It didn’t take long for Mirio’s attitude to revert back to normal, becoming bright and optimistic again. “Anyway! Yeah, his villain name is Overhaul. He’s a _bad_ guy, Aya. Just feel I need to warn you of that.”

“I think I can handle him. He’s in jail, after all.”

“You’re not wrong about the second part,” Mirio laughed. You tried to ignore his sudden change in perspective, but it wasn’t easy. After a few more minutes of interacting with the Big Three, Mirio walked you back to the school infirmary.

The next day, you met up with Shouta Aizawa, Izuku Midoriya, and Mirio to travel to Tartarus and interrogate Kai Chisaki. You couldn’t help but notice how nervous Midoriya seemed during the car ride.

“Deku?” You tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “You alright?” Startling everyone in the car, Midoriya jumped and squealed when you came in contact with him, causing Mr. Aizawa to snap at him sternly. 

“Oh, um—yes, I’m fine!” Midoriya replied, sounding panicked. His mind and composure said otherwise.

“Did you forget I can read minds? Whether I want to or not?” You raised an eyebrow at him, Mirio peering back at both of you.

“Of course I didn’t,” Midoriya sighed. “It’s just—I’ve never been to Tartarus. I’ve only heard and read about it. There’s a lot of villains being kept here, and I can’t help but feel anxious.”

Mirio was quick to share his thoughts, which you had already heard. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Midoriya! We’ll be in a safe visiting room surrounded by cameras and guards. Security is super tight at this place! This’ll be my second time here, too, so while I may not be a genius on all things Tartarus, I at least have some experience.” Midoriya softly smiled and nodded, leaning against the car window.

As the prison came into view, your gut began to twist and you felt the urge to run and hide.

It just occurred to you how many villains might possibly be within ten meters of you at all times.

Once inside Tartarus, you and the group were led down a number of halls. Both you and Midoriya were shocked at the sheer size of the facility. As usual, Mr. Aizawa seemed unfazed while Mirio kept on smiling. The only thoughts you were hearing were Midoriya’s, Aizawa’s, Mirio’s and the guard’s, meaning any prisoners must have been locked away in other sections of Tartarus.

_ All For One’s being held prisoner here...what if I see him?! _

_ Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bring Midoriya...but he was heavily involved in the Shie Hassaikai raid. _

_ This for is for Eri! _

You and the others were then ushered into a small room divided by a thick wall of glass. You stepped forward to get a good look at the man on the other side of the room, but an arm came out and stopped you. You locked eyes with the person stopping you. “Proceed with caution.” It was Aizawa—Eraserhead. “Just because he’s behind bars doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous.”

In disbelief, you raised an eyebrow at the Pro Hero. Not only was Kai Chisaki imprisoned, but he _didn’t have arms._ He was _literally_ “unarmed.” You knew you had to be a bad villain in order to get locked up in Tartarus, but you didn’t understand how Overhaul could be seen as a threat in this state. The disheveled, dark-haired man was hunched over in a chair, refusing to acknowledge you or your party members.

“Chisaki,” you heard Eraserhead call out, but the villain didn’t respond. You couldn’t hear Chisaki’s thoughts at all, which made you wonder if the man was even conscious.

“ _Overhaul_ , ” Aizawa corrected himself. Surprisingly, Chisaki flinched and opened his eyes—though he was still looking at the ground.

Midoriya lightly elbowed you and whispered, “Picking up on any of his thoughts?”

“Nothing yet,” you replied, shaking your head.

Out of nowhere, Overhaul’s head abruptly swung upward, his amber eyes gazing directly at Aizawa. His movements caused Midoriya to jump backwards and subtly hide behind his teacher. Embarrassed, the boy stepped back into Chisaki’s vision and brushed himself off.

Worst of all, you _still_ couldn’t pick up on any of Overhaul’s thoughts.

“You don’t give up, do you?” Overhaul growled. A verbal response from Chisaki was a huge step in the right direction, but it _completely_ demolished any reason you had for being here. “Here to talk about my work again?”

“This visit’s going to be different and here’s what’s going to happen,” Aizawa snarled, cracking his knuckles and stepping towards the glass. “I’m going to ask you three questions and you’re going to answer them.”

“Ask away, teacher,” Chisaki taunted, eyeing Midoriya and then Mirio. “I was always good in school.”

_ Awe. They brought someone new. How cute. _

The villain’s eyes landed on you just before he answered Aizawa’s first question, which your brain wasn’t even able to register. As soon as Overhaul’s answer to the first question began, the voice in his head joined in on the conversation, too. You could finally hear Chisaki’s thoughts...and they were completely separate from everything he was saying to Eraserhead. It’s as if he was holding a private conservation with you while simultaneously speaking with Aizawa, which seems impossible.

_ And she reminds me of someone. _

Chisaki’s mouth was moving but his voice wasn’t synced with it, all while your eyes were gradually growing wider.

_ Eri, that’s it. Yes, you have that same horrified expression right now. _

_ A moment ago you looked so dead inside. _

_ Just. Like. Her. _

And with that, your eyes were saucers.

_ You can hear this, can’t you? _

It felt like you and Chisaki were the only two people in the world. 

_ I knew it. _

_ I can’t believe the heroes had to stoop down to this level just to get answers out of me. _

Even now, Chisaki was still conversing with Eraserhead. He was answering the Pro Hero’s second question now.

_Well, I’ll make sure to get my message to the heroes across loud and clear. What can I say? I’ve learned my lesson._

His internal voice just kept growing louder and louder.

_ I’ve learned not to use little girls to get what I want, because in the end, you end up with less than what you started with. _

_ Oh, to use my quirk again... _

_ Imagine it. _

_ I’d start by tearing apart your brain and then reassembling it over and over, enough times until you’re numb to the pain. _

_ But that damn League of Villains had to come along and take that ability away from me. _

_ Despite how filthy I believed it was, they took my quirk. Now it’s gone. _

_ They took my arms. _

_ Took my Eri. _

_ All they do is take. At least I take and give. _

_ Hell, my quirk was all about taking and giving. _

_ If I still had it, the things I would do to you... _

_ Wait. _

_ I do still have it. _

_ My quirk hasn’t gone anywhere. _

_ I just need hands. _

_ I need to get my hands on Eri again. _

_ She could give my back my arms. _

_ And then, with a single touch, I could lacerate every tendon in your legs so you aren’t able to run away. _

_ I’m so glad you came to visit me. _

You stumbled backwards into Midoriya’s arms, trembling. Chisaki had just finished up answering Aizawa’s questions, too. Usually, you didn’t feel anything, but in this moment, you felt terrified. “D-Deku,” you stuttered. “He—I—“

“Did I frighten her?” Overhaul asked, a sinister smirk on his face.

“He’s lost it,” Mirio spat, speaking to Aizawa. “This isn’t the same Overhaul I fought.”

Midoriya helped you out of the visiting room, leaving Mirio and Aizawa to deal with Chisaki.

_ See you later. _


	6. I’ll Be Here

“He told us everything,” Midoriya explained to you in the car.

Behind the wheel, Aizawa was quick to cut in. “While that’s true, a lot of what Chisaki told us we already knew,” he stated. “I apologize for the way he acted towards you, Aya. None of us saw that coming.”

Mirio leaned back in the passenger’s seat, deep in thought. “I still can’t believe how quickly he figured us out. Since he knew you could read minds, he just decided to come clean with us.”

“We did find out a little bit regarding his treatment of Eri,” Midoriya added. “And he told us more about the drug he created. I don’t know, I guess it’s good to learn about something directly from its source.”

You took a deep breath. “If he could control his thoughts the way he did, couldn’t he have just been lying to us?”

“He could,” Aizawa replied to you. “After all, you read minds. You’re not a lie detector.”

“With more training, you could be!” Mirio smiled, twisting his head around to look at you. You slouched down in your seat, weakly smiling back at him. How he constantly kept up the upbeat demeanor, you didn’t know.

“How would you like to meet Class 1-A, Aya?” Aizawa asked you, catching you off guard. You weren’t exactly sure what to say—and Midoriya’s confused expression wasn’t helping you.

You cleared your throat. “Why?”

“To be frank, I want to see how they’d respond knowing someone who can read minds is in the classroom. We recently finished up a unit on emitter-type quirks and quirks that affect either the victim or the user’s brain. Plus, I feel as though some students might be cheating on exams.”

“ _Cheating?!_ ” Midoriya squealed, gripping the back of Aizawa’s seat.

“Calm down,” Aizawa snapped, jerking the steering wheel so that Midoriya would smack his head on the window. “It’s just a hunch of mine. My students need to be prepared to encounter all kinds of different quirks. How they respond to yours will help them and myself in the long run.”

You figured you had nothing better to do, so you agreed to it. “Sure. I’m happy to meet Class 1-A. After all, I’ve already met two of your students.”

“Who else have you met?” Midoriya said, rubbing the newly formed bump on his head.

“When I first got here, I met Katsuki Bakugou in the infirmary.”

Midoriya’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really? That’s great!”

“I’m not certain that’s the word I would use to describe our little encounter. He’s quite rude.”

”That’s Kacchan for you, I guess...”

“Hey,” Mirio spoke up. “You think you can handle that many students at once?”

You thought for a moment. The past few weeks training with Mirio had definitely built up your confidence when it came to your quirk, despite your rough history with it. A classroom of first-year students sounded a hell of a lot better than a subway full of strangers. “I think I can handle it.” Mirio simply gave you a thumbs up and then faced forward again.

“Then that settles it,” Aizawa remarked, making eye contact with you in the rear-view mirror. “I’ll escort you to the classroom tomorrow afternoon.”

“So are we going to be taking a pop quiz tomorrow, Mr. Aizawa?” Midoriya chimed in.

“Yes. Don’t tell anyone. It can be our secret.”

“Yessir!”

The next day, Aizawa explained your role to you. Your task was simple: inform him of any off-putting thoughts his students were having during their afternoon quiz. You walked behind the teacher, following him down the hallway. Before entering the classroom, he unexpectedly turned around to speak with you again.

“You’re a girl, right?” Aizawa asked, staring at you with such a concerned expression that you almost took a step back.

His question stunned you. “Um—yes, I’m a girl—“

“I ask because a couple of my students’ thoughts might alarm you,” he interrupted you, spinning back around. “One student’s in particular. Just thought I’d let you know.” He then opened the door and walked into the room, the class quick to silence themselves and settle into their seats. You wandered in after him, curiously scanning the classroom.

The students’ thoughts had been swirling around in your mind ever since you were within range of them, but now all their thoughts and eyes were on you. Midoriya’s mental processing was prominent, being that your brain and quirk were familiar with him.

_ I can’t wait to see their reactions... _

_ Hi, Aya!  _

You smiled at the green-haired boy, acknowledging his greeting. Other thoughts started leaking into your head, some standing out far more than others.

_ Who is she? _

_ Dammit, what’s she doing here?! _

_ Must be an upperclassman. _

_ Damn, she’s cute! _

_ What a looker. _

_ 32B, perhaps? Yes, looks about right... _

_ I hope this girl sits in front of me so I can stare... _

_ And stare... _

_ And stare some more... _

_ Although if she’s behind me, I can turn around and sneak glances at her chest! _

Your crossed your arms involuntarily, trying to hide your chest. This must have been who Aizawa was trying to warn you about.

“Attention class,” Aizawa exclaimed, most of the students shifting their attention back over to him. “This is Aya. She’s my new temporary TA.”

_ Ooh, a UA TA! That’s fun to say. _

_ Mr. Aizawa doesn’t seem like the type to want a teacher’s assistant around. _

_ She’s so cute! _

Aizawa handed you a seating chart so you’d get familiar with the students’ names. “Go ahead and introduce yourself, Aya.”

You cleared your throat and took a deep breath. It wasn’t ever easy to talk while continuously receiving an influx of teenage thoughts. “Hi,” you said, standing beside Aizawa. Your arms were still locked over your chest. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

“Would you like to explain your quirk or do you want me to?”

“I...I think I c-can—“ The perverted thoughts from a certain student in the classroom were starting to get to you now. However, there was no way for you to pinpoint the culprit. “My quirk—um—“ Aizawa noticed you were struggling and saved your ass.

“Midoriya, you’re friends with Aya. Mind describing her quirk to your classmates?”

Midoriya stood up and bowed. “I absolutely will!” he declared. “Aya can hear the thoughts of anyone within ten meters of her!” Almost all of the students in the classroom began panicking internally, worried about what you had heard. A few of them were impressed by your quirk.

“Thank you, Midoriya,” Aizawa calmly responded. A female student raised her arm in the air. “Yes, Uraraka?”

You glanced down at the seating chart in your hand. When you looked back up, your eyes met Uraraka’s. “Hi there, Aya! I was wondering...how many thoughts can you hear at one time?”

“All of them,” was all you managed to include in your answer. The perverted thoughts you’d been hearing still hadn’t stopped. “And,” you continued, “whoever’s trying to figure out my waist-hip ratio needs to stop right now before kill you.”

Everyone in the room—except Bakugou, who grinned at your choice of words—slowly turned to face a small student with purple hair. What was he, no taller than Nezu?

“What?!” the student snapped. “It’s not me! I’ve been thinking about her...other things!”

“Sorry, that was me,” a blonde student muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. After checking the seating chart, you identified the students as Minoru Mineta and Denki Kaminari.

“I apologize for them,” Aizawa said to you. “They can  mostly control their mouths. Their thoughts will run rampant. Not much we can do about that.” Kaminari’s face was bright red while Mineta just looked dazed.

Kaminari stood up. “I’ll be better, Miss!” Did he just call you _Miss?_

“Great, now let’s see how much better you are at school,” Mr. Aizawa growled, directing everyone’s attention to a stack of papers he was grabbing. He walked around the room, passing them out. “Pop quiz,” was all he said, earning a groan out of a handful of students. So far, you weren’t very impressed with UA’s top class of first-years. Maybe Monoma was right about Class 1-B being better. “Aya here will be listening in on your thoughts while you test. As I’ve told you many times, you never know what types of villains you’ll face as a hero. Running into a villain who is capable of reading your mind can prove to be a tricky obstacle. These questions are designed around that concept. In addition to this, Aya will also report any cheating she detects. You have twenty minutes.”

“Starting now?” Eijiro Kirishima blurted.

“Starting now,” Aizawa replied, climbing into a...yellow sleeping bag? Okay then. Guess that was your cue.

It didn’t seem as though any of the students were cheating. With that out of the way, you patiently sat and listened. Everyone analyzed the questions differently and focused on completing the assignment. Some students were more focused than others, though. Kaminari and Mineta were constantly distracted...Kaminari by random things and Mineta by girls.

“Time’s up,” Aizawa announced. “Aya, could you collect the students’ work for me? Thank you.” Although that wasn’t part of the deal, you obliged. You made your way throughout the room, gathering up quizzes and chatting with a couple students, most thanking you for picking up their papers. The girls were incredibly sweet to you, which was a nice change of pace. You also recognized several people from the Sports Festival, which had been broadcast on televisions all around the city.

“It’s nice to meet you,” a student spoke up as you passed by him. You didn’t need the seating chart to be able to identify Shouto Todoroki.

“You too,” you said as he handed you his copy of the quiz.

When you made your way over to Mineta, you were profusely hesitant to touch anything he had come in contact with. “Thank you,” was all he said as you took his assignment from him. Man, his lisp was the cherry on top.

_...Gorgeous. _

_ Voluptuous... _

You didn’t hesitate to punch Mineta in the face after that, drawing blood and sending him to the floor. Aizawa sat up, surprised by the commotion. “You probably deserved that, didn’t you, Mineta?” Aizawa commented, Mina Ashido and Kirishima attempting to suppress their laughter.

“Probably,” Mineta replied, heading off to the bathroom to clean up. 

Just as you were about to grab Bakugou’s quiz, he moved it out of reach. “Too slow, new girl,” he scoffed.

“Looks like Bakugou wants to fail the quiz, Mr. Aizawa,” you taunted, glancing towards the front of the room. In response, Bakugou rolled his eyes and aggressively handed you his assignment. “Thanks, Sludge Boy,” you mocked him as you walked away.

_ Screw you, dammit. _

Once you had collected all the quizzes, you returned to the front of the room. After another half hour or so, class wrapped up and the students returned to their dormitories. Midoriya even invited you and offered to introduce you to his friends. You were still considered highly suspicious at UA, so he first had to get approval from Aizawa, who didn’t seem to have a problem with it. He even hinted at moving you into a dorm.

Just after exiting the building, you began to feel a little nauseous from all the mind reading. “Hey, Deku,” you mumbled to him, your head now throbbing.

“What’s going on?” he replied, stopping in his tracks.

“I think I need some time alone before I visit people in the dorms. My head and stomach both hurt.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, well, I don’t think we’re supposed to be leaving you alone on campus...”

“Then let me leave campus for a bit. I’m not a student, I don’t need a permission slip.”

“I don’t know, Aya...”

“Please? I just need to go for a walk, away from everyone—including you.”

Midoriya took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. I understand. But seriously, don’t take long.” He handed you his cellphone. “And take this! If you see any calls or emails from Ochako Uraraka or Tenya Iida, just know it’s me trying to get ahold of you.” You nodded, taking his phone and putting it in your pocket.

“I’ll be sure to answer,” you replied, smiling. “Thank you for being such a good friend, Deku.”

“Of course! I’ll see you in a bit!” He trotted off, catching up to his peers and most likely explaining the situation to them. Before you turned to leave, he looked back at you, smiled, and waved.

You made your way to the front of the school and left campus, occasionally checking Midoriya’s phone for any new notifications. You took in as much fresh air as you possibly could and cleared your mind. To be quite honest, you were very proud of yourself. The past few days had been like nothing you’d ever experienced before—and you were thankful for that. Your life was changing for the better, and the changes had only just begun.

You reached the outskirts of the main city, meaning it was time for you to turn back. After passing by the abandoned parking garage you used to call home, you spun around and found yourself face to face with an unfamiliar man. He was sporting a fresh undercut, his hair a dark shade of rasin purple, and he wore dark jeans accompanied by a black jacket.

How you hadn’t sensed his thoughts until now, you didn’t know. Could he teleport or something?

“Hey there,” he said casually. “I was wondering where you went.”

Confused, you narrowed your eyes. “I’ve never seen you before,” you retorted defensively. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing.” He leaned against the brick wall, your eyes never leaving him. “I just used to see you around here a lot and then you vanished all of a sudden.”

“Do you have any idea how creepy you sound? Where did you even come from?”

He pointed up. “I dropped down from the third floor of the parking garage. Hey, you’re homeless, aren’t you?” You remained silent, trying to read his thoughts. There weren’t any that stood out to you in particular. “That’s okay, you don’t have to answer. Do you have a quirk?”

Reluctantly, you nodded. “I read minds.”

“Whoa! A mind reader!” He propelled himself off the wall and stood even closer to you than before, instinctively causing you to jump back. “Impressive. Want to know something?” He stepped towards you. “I don’t need a quirk like that to be able to read your mind. I can tell you’re really nervous!”

You tried to remain calm. “W-What about you?”

“I can erase people’s quirks.”

Your breath hitched. “Like...the Pro Hero Eraserhead?”

“Who?”

“Never mind.” Where was this guy when Overhaul was destroying neighborhoods?

“You’re in a school uniform now! What happened to you? How’d you go from homeless to,” he tugged at your skirt, “this...in a matter of weeks?”

You slapped his hand away. “Look, you’re nice and all but I have to get going.” You felt Midoriya’s phone buzzing in your pocket. You wanted to answer it, but you also didn’t want to take your eyes off of this man.

“Can you tell me your name?” You stared at his orange eyes, desperate to walk away. You could try to fight him off if he didn’t relent, though he didn’t seem like much of a threat. What was he going to do? Get rid of your quirk? If he did that, you may end up actually thanking him in the end.

“My name is Aya,” you snarled, feeling Midoriya’s phone ring a second time. “And I really need to go.”

“You seem troubled. Is it your quirk?”

“No, it’s _you_.” You shoved him out of your way and ran past him—that is, until his hand wrapped itself around your wrist and he yanked you backwards. You’d been on these streets for years and now, when everything starts to look up, someone harasses you like this? How annoying. “Let me go!” you shouted, hoping to hear the thoughts of someone else within ten meters of you. Unfortunately, it was just you two in the vicinity. You were tempted to reach up and rip out one of his many earrings, his hand gripping your wrist ferociously.

“Please relax,” he said. “Can you?” You nodded and he released you almost immediately. “I want to help you.”

You glared daggers at him. “How?”

“Like I said, I’ve seen you around the area. You just behave...oddly. And I think it’s because of your quirk.”

He wasn’t wrong. “How do you plan to help me?”

“I thought I told you I can erase quirks. Permanently, I might add.”

“Three weeks ago, I would’ve wanted your help. But I’m fine now, so leave me alone.” You started walking away, but what he said next caused you to freeze.

“Meet me again tomorrow? Same time?”

Your gut told you not to, but you twisted around to look at him and reply. “Why?”

“To give you time to think about it,” he explained. “I know what it’s like to despise quirks.”

Without another word, you dashed away from him. 

_ I’ll be here. _

You didn’t even bother to find out his name.


	7. Doppelgänger

** ATTENTION! This chapter is CRITICAL to the plot! HOWEVER, it is not told from Aya’s POV and is instead in third person. Enjoy!  
**

“I’m here to inform all of you of an incident that happened near our school recently,” Nezu said, trying to make eye contact with everyone at the table at least once. “A Pro Hero went missing last week. A few days later, the police found his corpse face down in what appeared to be dried blood and ashes.”

“Sounds like Shigaraki to me,” All Might cut in, folding his arms. “I can’t believe the League—“

“Not so fast, All Might,” Nezu snapped quickly, shooting the retired hero a deadpan glare. “According to the police, the hero’s face and chest had been repeatedly slashed by blades of some kind. To say the least, it was not a pretty sight. Do you want to know what the hero’s quirk was?” All of the teachers at the meeting—All Might, Cementos, Midnight, and Aizawa—seemed frozen in place. “His quirk was called ‘Slice.’ At will, he could turn his individual fingers into blades.“

“So was this...some sort of suicide?” Cementos asked despairingly.

“After further investigation, the police concluded this was most likely not a suicide. Slashing oneself open with swords is not a painless or sensical method by any means.”

All Might slammed his fist on the table. “So then who’s behind this? Who’s to say this isn’t just some small villain attack?”

“This has been happening all over the city,” Nezu responded. “Heroes AND villains are being murdered in cold blood...by what appears to be their own quirk.”

“Neito Monoma in Class 1-B can copy quirks,” Aizawa interjected. “Could this criminal have a quirk similar to his?”

“I have shared all of the information the police gave me. There really isn’t much on this case. We just need to be aware of it in order to protect our students.“

“This villain sounds pretty _sadistic_ ,” Midnight huffed. “And did you say this person has been attacking both heroes _and_ villains?”

“Indeed,” Nezu nodded. “This serial killer is either killing for fun or has motives similar to Stain’s. Instead of killing only heroes, they’re after villains, too. Quirk users of any kind, it seems.”

“Didn’t Overhaul have similar intentions? He wanted to eradicate quirks or something like that?” Midnight asked, scratching her chin in thought. Nezu looked at Aizawa as if giving him permission to answer her question.

Aizawa cleared his throat. “Yes, he saw quirks as some type of curable disease.” There was a pause. “He also wanted control of Japan’s market. He was after the money.”

Nezu spoke up again. “Whoever this person is, their intentions, quirk or quirks, and identity are all unknown to us heroes and the police. The crimes have been happening all around Musutafu, and with them so close by, it is important we at the high school at least know of these murders.”

“Is this person affiliated with the League of Villains at all?” Snipe said.

“Good question. There has been no evidence leading us to that conclusion, but it is always a possibility.”

“What about the piles of dust you mentioned?” All Might inquired. “Isn’t that a telltale sign of the leader of the League?”

“While that is also a possibility, this apparent ash was found at every one of these crime scenes, typically alongside the bodies of the victims. As we all know, Shigaraki tends to hide himself from the public. I don’t see him becoming active so often, let alone killing villains on a regular basis.”

“Thank you for letting us know, Nezu,” All Might said. “We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Are there any heroes investigating the situation?”

“Mirko and Hawks were teaming up to look into it, which should tell you something. Mirko tends to work alone and all. I also requested that the police update me on the investigation. Any more questions?”

“Yes,” Aizawa grumbled. “When we were invading Shie Hassaikai, two members of the League of Villains intervened. One could shapeshift and the other created clones. Both were skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Couldn’t either of them use their quirks to create crime scenes like the ones we’re discussing?”

“You make an excellent point!” Nezu clapped cheerfully. “Unfortunately that doesn’t explain the collections of dust.”

“It does if we add Shigaraki to the mix.”

“Again, I really do not think the League is involved with these attacks. This is something entirely different.”

“I guess we’ll find out sooner or later,” All Might said as he stood up. He used what was left of One For All to transform into his muscular self. “You’re smart, principal, so I trust you. Anywho, I have a class to teach, so I’ll be on my way!” And with that, he reverted to his regular form, coughed, and left the room.

** Meanwhile...  
**

“Tomura, there’s someone here to see you,” Himiko Toga announced, poking her head into the room. Naturally, Shigaraki and the rest of the League turned to look at the door. An expressionless young man with dark hair stepped into the vicinity, his bright orange eyes immediately locking onto Shigaraki’s.

“Who the hell are you?” Shigaraki growled, hopping to his feet.

“Name’s Doppelgänger,” the man replied, removing his jacket and slinging it over his shoulder. “And yes, that’s also the name of my quirk.”

Twice instantly cut in. “Hey, that sounds a lot like my quirk. Cool! Wait, what?! That’s stupid, now my quirk seems lame!”

”Shut up, Twice, you’re bothering me,” Shigaraki snapped, a sinister look on his face as he approached Doppelgänger. Shigaraki cautiously examined the League’s new visitor, creating a moment of silence that Doppelgänger couldn’t bear to endure.

“Hate feeling short?” Doppelgänger smirked, looking down at the leader of the League of Villains.

Shigaraki dismissively grunted. Despite their height difference, both figures were equally intimidating. “What do you want?”

“Your little cutie over there,” he gestured to Toga, “tried to kill me.”

Shigaraki’s head veered towards the girl. “You were patrolling!” he screeched at her. “I told you not to make a scene!”

Toga rolled her eyes. “In order to patrol, I need a disguise which means I need someone’s blood. I thought I’d kill him and go from there. Things didn’t go as planned, of course, because it turns out this is the guy who’s been murdering people all over the city. I’ll admit, I liked that about him and so here we are now.”

“He’s been killing villains and heroes alike and you decided to bring him here?” Toga nodded fearlessly. “To the League of Villains’ hideout?” She simply nodded again. Shigaraki sighed and turned away from her. “Why is everyone here so idiotic?”

“Ouch,” Dabi interjected from the back of the room. He and Spinner exchanged glances and shrugged.

“Anyway,” Shigaraki said to Doppelgänger, “what are you here for? If you want to kill Toga, I sadly won’t allow it.”

“I’m looking for a job, actually,” Doppelgänger replied, nonchalantly checking his fingernails. “My quirk manifested a little under two weeks ago. I don’t know a lot about it yet so I’m looking for some...guidance.”

Shigaraki raised an eyebrow. “You mean you were quirkless until just recently?“

“That’s right.”

“How old you are?”

“Twenty-two.”

Twice couldn’t resist the urge to butt into the conversation again. “Ooh! He’s taller and older than you, Shigaraki!”

“Twice, for the love of—“ Shigaraki froze, an idea coming to him. “Doppelgänger, can you show us how your quirk works...using Twice over there?”

“The guy in the skin-tight suit?” Doppelgänger cracked his knuckles, excited shivers traveling up and down his spine. “It’d be my pleasure.”

“W-What?! Tomura, y-you—his quirk is _called Doppelgänger_! He could c-clone m-me!” Wide-eyed, Twice braced himself for whatever was about to happen to him.

However, Doppelgänger let out a hideous laugh. “This won’t hurt, I promise. Now, say hello.” Immediately, Twice felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He slowly turned around and felt as if he were looking into a mirror, except there was no reflective glass.

  
  
In front of him was a second version of himself—a copy.

“Twice,” Doppelgänger walked towards the clone and flung an arm around it. “Meet your quirk!” he exclaimed, a proud yet devious smile plastered on his face. Twice was not having it, unfortunately. He went into shock and found himself unable to move. “What’s wrong with this guy?”

Shigaraki chuckled darkly, walking out to lay five fingers on Twice’s clone. The clone disintegrated into ash. “Amusing quirk, Doppelgänger,” the leader of the League said, disregarding Doppelgänger’s question. “But we already have a psychotic copying machine.”

“Hold on,” Mr. Compress snapped, his expression hidden behind his mask. “We learned of his quirk, now let’s hear what he has to say about his beliefs. We are actively recruiting new members, are we not?”

Shigaraki glared at Doppelgänger, expecting a response. Doppelgänger quickly caught on and provided one for him. “First of all,” he started, “there’s more to my quirk than creating clones. My quirk separates someone from their quirk, and when someone is without a quirk, they, by definition, become quirkless. Basically, the clones I make are _quirks ripped away from a person_. It sounds more complicated than it is.”

Dabi stepped forward. “Unless your ‘quirk-clones’ do everything you ask them to, your power is useless.”

“Ah, but my doppelgängers do exactly that, Scarface,” Doppelgänger crossed his arms. “And they only listen to  me.”

“How do you activate your quirk?” Shigaraki asked, aggressively scratching his neck. “I was watching and you didn’t seem to do anything out of the ordinary.”

Doppelgänger grinned at him. “That’s because all it takes is direct eye contact.”

“So you render others’ quirks useless and then use them for yourself?”

“Exactly.”

Shigaraki just grimaced, his nails finally leaving his neck alone.

“If one of my doppelgängers die, the quirk returns to its user. If the user is killed while separated from their quirk, the doppelgänger will die with them and become a pile of dust.” Doppelgänger brought his hand to his chin. “As far as beliefs go,” he paused, “do you have any idea how hard it is to get by in this society without a quirk?”

“Personally, no,” Shigaraki retorted.

“For a while now, I’ve been running around experimenting with my quirk, killing people of all kinds, hero and villain. You could probably guess that my quirk doesn’t work on anyone who is quirkless or anything that isn’t living. I’m still working out the kinks, but what I do know is that this society is pretty shitty. I mean, people won’t even hire you to mow their lawns anymore—because there’s a goddamn quirk for that! It’s ridiculous.”

“It just sounds like you dislike quirks to me,” Shigaraki interrupted, narrowing his eyes.

“Like I said, I just need guidance. That’s all. I’ve gone my whole life without a quirk until now...which hasn’t been easy.”

Shigaraki returned to his seat and sat down with one leg up. “That’s a start. I’m sure we could help you, but we have some rules. Do you care to listen?”

“I’m all ears.”

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT A/N:
> 
> If it wasn’t clear, anything standing alone in it’s own paragraph and ITALICIZED implies the internal thoughts of a character heard by the reader. It won’t always be clear which thoughts belong to what characters...and I am intending for it to be that way! It’s up to the readers to infer who is thinking what, just like Aya would have to do in real life. A lot of the time, the reader is unable to tell who is thinking what. Crazy, right? Good luck, readers! Also, I plan to pump out some OC artwork eventually. I’ll accept any and all kudos + comments! Have a great day!
> 
> P.S. Get ready to meet lots of familiar characters in the following chapters to come! Thanks again for the support!
> 
> P.P.S. Mind the tags!


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